The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of Abies fraseri named ‘Frosty’. This variety is distinguishable from other Abies fraseri varieties primarily by its distinctive blue white needle color.
Lineage. The Abies fraseri ‘Frosty’ cultivar was discovered as a two-year old seedling growing in a cultivated area on the Poe Tree Farm in Jefferson, N.C. in 1992; thus, its parentage is unknown. The single, individual plant now known as Abies fraseri, ‘Frosty’ was identified due to its exceptional feature of blue white needle color (FIG. 1). The seedling was protected from rodents and mice by a screen wire cage and allowed to grow for an additional three years receiving only a light mulch of pine needles for winter protection. The original plant is now seventeen years old and has maintained its distinctive blue white needle color (FIG. 2).
Asexual Reproduction. The new and distinct variety, Abies fraseri ‘Frosty’ was first asexually reproduced in 2005 in Jefferson, N.C. by grafting onto rootstock of Abies fraseri (FIGS. 3-5). While the majority of grafts made since that time have been on rootstock of A. fraseri, grafts have also been made on rootstock of Abies firma (Momi Fir) (FIG. 6). The typical grafting procedure involves making a simple cleft graft on the terminal of five year old Fraser fir tree and then uniting the scion and rootstock using rubber bands and grafting wax. In 2007, a polyfilm was successfully substituted for the rubber bands and grafting wax. All grafts have retained the distinctive blue white needle color of the original parent tree. Thus, the distinctive characteristics of the new cultivar have remained stable and reproduce true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.